


Mama I'm in love with a criminal.

by TheShireCantHandleMe



Series: We've got time on our side. [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Future Barry Allen, Future Fic, I had to google the Crisis for this, I hope this is better than the Mcfly fanfic me and my mate wrote when I was 13., M/M, coldflash - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 03:04:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9800069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShireCantHandleMe/pseuds/TheShireCantHandleMe
Summary: Leonard and Barry's relationship has never really been in order. Time travel is a dick but sometimes it has its moments.





	

When Reverse Flash threw a semi-conscious Barry into a breach neither of them were quite sure where he was going to end up. Eobard didn’t care. He just wanted him gone.

The future wasn’t exactly new for Barry but waking up to see a slightly “worn around the edges” looking version of himself at his bedside definitely was. 

“I need your help with something.” He stated. His face a blank mask but his eyes looked fiercely determined.

“Whaaa?” groggily Barry levered himself up onto his elbows and looked around. “Where am I?… When am I?” 

“2024.”

“The crisis year?” Barry was wide awake now.

 

Future Barry smiled sadly “It is. You shouldn’t be here. I’ve been getting memories that aren’t mine for days. Your future, my present… is in flux. But I think we can use this.” He gestured between them “…to our advantage.”

“It’s bad to mess with time. I should just go back. Eobard needs to be dealt with!” Barry exclaimed.

“Eobard will still be there when you get back. You know how to arrive just before you left. I need your help to save my… our happiness.”. He glanced down, spinning the grey band on his finger. 

“Who?…Is it who I hope it is?” Barry asked. He grabbed the others hand ‘ _and wasn’t that is just a whole lot of weird.’_ he thought. 

The ring was beautiful! Simple, a thick, brushed titanium band, with a thin band of blue gemstone around the middle, cut apart by an engraved snowflake.

His future self sighed happily and chuckled out “Of course it is. We wore him down eventually! Actually it was surprisingly easy after…. never mind.”

Barry yelled ‘I KNEW IT’ and fist pumped like a complete dork and they both burst into laughter.

Barry sobered “What do you need my help with?”

  
His future self sighed deeply.

“Up until two days ago. In the somewhat original version of the timeline. I should disappear tomorrow. Cisco vibed what will happen. We knew it was coming. We’ve known for years but we only learned about 6 months ago how it would happen exactly. So we tried to stop it. Change the future. Stop all the loss that’s coming.”

“What happened two days ago?” Barry asked, he could see tears shining in his future’s eyes but he figured they could get to what the Crisis actually is later.

“Cisco had another vibe. The future has changed. I won’t disappear…Len dies instead.” His voice broke around the word die like it had been ripped out of him by an old blunt kitchen knife. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he began to sob.

“I won’t allow that to happen! Len doesn’t know! I swore Cisco to secrecy. We’ve spent the past two days trying to find a way around this. Even so far as trying to put the timeline back on track.” It’s weird for Barry to see himself both sobbing and defiant. He imagines that’s how everyone else sees him. Sad but hopeful.

 

Barry swung his legs over the edge of the cot. He put his head in his hands and nodded along to the words, feeling hollow but he knows with his whole being he’d rather disappear or die than let Len go. All he’s ever wanted since he found out who Captain Cold was is to make him happier, keep him safe, love him in any way the Thief would allow.

‘ _Why can’t I just be happy? Why does life do this to me again and again._ ’ He thought bitterly. 

“With you here. Maybe we can find a way around this! I won’t tell Cisco or the others. This is just between us. He’ll try to change our mind. We’ll keep you as a back up in the shadows. You can’t be there for the main fight, if you die then I die early and that will fuck a whole lot of shit up.”

“Of course. Whats the plan?”

 

Older Barry led him over to a table covered in bits of paper. It’s the first time Barry has really taken stock of his surroundings since waking up. It’s a squat. Four walls and not a lot else. There’s one tiny cot in the corner as thins as cardboard. A table, an extremely worn out sofa that looks like it would give you hepatitis and a basic kitchen. There’s mould crawling up the walls in every corner, which is what he can smell now he realises. Mixed with the smell of greasy take-away packaging that’s, quite literally everywhere. 

“I had to go someplace Len wouldn’t find me. That none of them would. I’m logged into all the security cameras. Tapped all their phones. I’ll know if they need me in a second but they don’t know where I am. Told them I needed some time. Since they still think I will disappear tomorrow.” said Future Barry.

“Len can’t be too happy about that?” Barry stated, folding his arms as he scans over the mass of scribbles. He sees the words Anti-monitor, Supergirl’s symbol and  _‘is that a bat?’._

“He’s mad as hell but one of us has to take care of Nora and Micky.”. 

Barry startles at that. He hoped he and Len would end up together but to think they have kids. He has a little girl named after his Mum? and Mick? He must have loved that! 

 

Future Barry picks up a sheet and smooths it out on top. He outlines what they pieced together from Cisco’s vibe, the “original” timeline and the current version of the plan. The one that will cause Len’s death. Barry swallows heavily by the end. 

“Okay so now what?” he asks.

“Now? We have about 12 hours to come up with a new plan.”

 

They get to work. Making contingencies for contingencies. Future Barry is under the impression that if they don’t tell anyone else then they should all stick to the current plan but as he put it “Bats can be a loose canon. As can Len.” _  
_ By very early morning they have 5 plans. 

“Promise me something.” Barry says at 3:32am when they decide to settle down on the awful cot and get a few hours kip before the big showdown. 

“What?”

“Promise me. That if we survive this. Even if we do fail and Len…. Promise me you’ll retire from all this. There are so many heroes now. You have a family. With or without Len you have two kids who need their parents. Don’t leave them without a parent like we were.” says Barry. He is used to the bile in the back of his throat that follows when ever he thinks of his mother’s death and swallows dryly. 

“I promise.”

 

They both fell into restless sleep. 

 

The battle thankfully goes to plan! Actually better than. Future Barry realised he would have to explain that there would be another speedster present. Not one they knew but that the others shouldn't be alarmed if they see an extra lightening trail. He patched Barry into the coms too so he could listen to who needed help and where. Thanks to Barry’s involvement there’s less casualties on the heroes side than in either of Cisco’s vibes. He stayed back from the main fight picking people up as and when they were injured and taking them to safety. Throwing a few lightening blots here and there. Best of all rushing in to grab Len before he was tossed into the singularity

 

He dropped Len down safely on wobbly feet next to Cisco.

”Scarlett?” Len’s voice was strained with concern and confusion. Knowing he’d just seen his love rushing into a vortex of destruction.

”Hi Len.” Barry replied Breathlessly. Steading Len as he swayed. “I’ll explain later I promise.” He gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. 

”Are you a time remnant?” Cisco piped up.

Barry hesitated ”Let’s go with yes?”. 

”That means no Barry.” Both Len and Cisco said simultaneously. 

Barry turned sheepish rubbing the back of his neck while keeping an eye on the other Barry’s lightening trail. He knew when to intervene from the vibe but his presence here had changed things.

”I better go keep an eye on me. ”

”Wait!” Before Len could grab him he was off. 

Barry ran. The sounds of screaming and sirens distorted as he head to the carnage at the centre of the city. As he saw the explosion begin in slow motion, he knew he had to hurry. Hopping from debris to debris up into the centre of the singularity he saw his future self being dragged upwards, unconscious. He leap across the centre to grab him and back out the other side. As he ran back to the others cradling in his arms his future he had time to take stock of him. The battle had taken it’s toll. His suit torn up, burnt in places, the cowl completely gone and blood covering one whole side of his face. A cut ran up his left side for knee to the bottom of his ribs. His ankle looked broke. Barry wondered how he was even running on that. 

 

When they all got back to base. Caitlin, several other doctors Barry didn’t know looked over the wounded. He was a little banged up himself but nothing an hour super healing couldn’t deal with. The base was full of many other people he’d never met. They all eyed him warily.

Leonard walked over to him. His arm in a cast. Barry was startled more by him only in a t-shirt. He’d never seen him so underdressed. Barry looked him over noticing the black eye, busted lip. The way he carried himself stiff that implied bruised or broke ribs. Then he noticed Len looked pissed!

”Start talking Barry!” He growled. “Cisco said I was meant to die instead of you. So what sorta shit did you pull because you shouldn’t be here.”

Barry looked down guiltily. “Well it was his idea.” His said gesturing to the Barry on the bed being fussed by doctors. 

”No shit. But I can’t ask him so talk.” Len glanced back to the bed with a worried frown. Barry noticed he wasn’t wearing his wedding ring. Maybe he didn’t want to loose it in the battle. Or did he take it off because he thought Barry didn’t know?

Barry sighed “I’m from 2016.”

Len swung his head back round so fast he looked like he might add whiplash to his list of injuries. 

“What? Why? Why would you be so stupid as to grab your past self to help with this?!” His voice raised, upset and angry. A few of the others had stopped to listen to this. Their faces varying from shock, resignation and anger. 

“It wasn’t intentional!” Barry stated angrily. “The past changed. I was thrown here by Eobard! Barry told me you’d die. We couldn’t let that happen.” His voice was raising now too in defence of his actions. They wouldn’t let Len die and they would have tried a million ways to save him. 

”Barry! You risked not only your current life but your whole past! That could have destroyed so much! Why would you risk that!” Leonard didn’t ask it as a question. Just a statement of fact. A rhetorical question, the answer in Len’s mind being  _‘I shouldn’t have i’m an idiot you’re not worth it.’_ and Barry knew it. He knew how little Len thought he meant. It made him mad.

“FOR YOU! When will you get it into your thick head! Past! Present! Or Future! I love you!”. Barry gestured dramatically at himself, his future self and the room at large respectively. 

“I would do anything for you. I would die for you a thousand times over.” Barry yelled. Startling everyone into backing up except Len. Who was looking at him like someone had just flipped his world view on its head. 

He looked at him in wonder. 

”You love me?” Len asked in a quiet voice.

“Well duh.” Barry said, gesturing to his future self. 

Leonard shuffled into Barry’s space gently placing his good hand into Barry’s curling their fingers together. 

“No Barry… I mean you. You love me? Now? In the past? In 2016, you Barry love me?” Leonard asked, his voice still amazingly quiet and unsure. 

Barry shrugged and looked into Len’s beautiful eyes. He realised it’s the first time he’s been this close to the other man. Len’s eyes look sad and hopeful and he huffs a laugh reminded of his thought from yesterday. 

“Of course I do. You’re all I’ve wanted since…. since. I don’t know really.” He lays his other palm on Len’s face as he speaks. Sweeping his thumb gently across the bruised skin. Len leans into the touch despite the pain it causes. 

 

Len looks at him then with so much love that he feels like he’ll burst if you put a pin in him. Len slides his hand out of Barry’s grip to his cheek and brings him closer. As their lips brush he mumbles “I love you husband.” before moving into a long slow kiss. Barry’s ears ring with the words and his grip moves to Len’s neck as his body and mind scream _‘FINALLY!’._

There is a cough to the side and they reluctantly break apart. Len whispers into his lips “I’d tell you to never try that shit again but you never listen to me anyway”. Barry just smiles dreamily at him in return.

They look over at Caitlin who looks concerned wringing her hands together.

“There’s been a complication. The explosion or singularity has drained Barry of the speed force. He’s as stable as we can make him but his speed healing isn’t working.” She states. 

“What does that mean? He has no powers?” Len asks.

“Well.. no he doesn’t. His injuries are serve. He has a large laceration up his left side. A broke ankle, five broke ribs, one of which pierced his lung. He has internal bruising but not bleeding luckily. His head is the main worry though.” She bites her lip looking back over at her patient. 

“Worry?” Barry asks.

“He has swelling in his brain. We’ve had to create a hole in his skull to lower the pressure. In a way its good he’s not healing because the hole would close too soon but it means it will also take longer for his brain to heal. Until the swelling goes down I can’t truly say that he is stable and we will only know the extent of any brain damage if he wakes up.”  
  
“If?” Len and Barry parrot back to her.  
“The damage is bad. For now we’re keeping him in a medically induced coma. So he can recover. We’re going to monitor him closely. Once the swelling is gone he will be taken out of the coma.”  
“And he’ll wake up right Dr Snow?” Len says coldly, as if his tone will make Caitlin agree with him.  
She walked forward placing a hand on his arm.  
“I hope so Leonard.” She smiled sadly and walked back to her patient.   
   
Barry placed his hand on Leonard’s back and guided him the chair by the other Barry’s bed. Barry realised something that he’d been wondering since this morning. He couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“Where are the kids?”.

Len gave him a calculating stare. “He told you about them?” at Barry’s nod he continued “They’re with Lisa. I refused to let her near the battle.”  
Barry nodded in understanding. They both sat quietly next to the bed listening to the beeping of the heart monitor and taking in the slight rise and fall of future Barry’s chest. He looked so pale that the bruises on his skin were so much worse. Lenny leaned forward and brushed his fingers over his partners ring. Then he leaned back into the seat reached into his collar and pulled out his own, on a chain around his neck. Barry smiled at this and helped him undo the chain and took the ring.  
It matched its counterpart but also different. The red gemstone band split by a lightening bolt engraving made him laugh. Then the inscription caught his eye.  
_‘My hero, Always.’._  
He went to lean forward and grab the other ring when Len’s hand stopped him.   
“Let that one be a surprise yeah?” Len stated softly. Barry just nodded and drop his head to Len’s shoulder. They drifted off to sleep like that until Caitlin came in and moaned at them to move to a more suitable location like a bed. At Len’s smirk she hit him gently.   
“I mean to sleep you dirty old man.”  
Len chuckled at that and dragged Barry to a spare cot in the base.  
Barry positioned himself, curled against Len so his head was still on Len’s shoulder but he refused to put any weight on him. Much to Len’s protest as he slowly dragged his fingers up and down Barry’s back. It felt weird for Barry but also so damn nice. He could feel Len’s heartbeat under his palm, the slow breathes of the man as he rested with his eyes closed. Trying not to move and cause himself pain. They fell asleep again like that.   
  
When Barry woke several hours later he was desperate for food realising he’d barely hit half his calorie count the day before. Carefully removing himself from Leonard, he shuffled off to find Cisco or Caitlin. He was doing his best to ignore everything else in the base. He didn’t want to stress about foreknowledge when he got home.  Barry approach Caitlin who was checking future Barry’s vitals.   
“How is he?”   
“He’s improving. Slowly.”  
“Still no powers then?”  
“Honestly, I’m not sure they’re going to come back. He’s alive but it may very well be the end of The Flash.” She said sadly.   
“Good.” Barry said, confusing her. “I told him to retire after this.”

Barry sighed when his stomach growled “I need food… and I wanted to talk to you.”  
Caitlin nodded with a delicate ‘ah’ and walked over to one of the cabinets in the room, grabbing out a box of twelve calorie bars. She passed them to Barry who sat and sped ate six before slowing down. She sat next to him looking expectant. Barry swallow and coughed suddenly realising water would be good right now.  
“Ummm… so I should probably go home right?”  
“You don’t want to.” She said but it wasn’t a question.   
“I… It’s just nice… with Len. You know. When I go home. I won’t have that. He barely even tolerates me. Plus all this future knowledge.” He said sadly while munching.  
Caitlin smiled in a way that she knew something he didn’t.   
“I think you’d be surprised by Len actually but there might be something we can do about the other stuff.”  
“What?”  
“Make you forget. We have pills you can take. Different strengths determine how much time you loose. Once you go to sleep you will forget all of this. It’s probably for the best actually. Given everything you’ve seen if you remember this the timeline will be compromised… again.” 

Barry thought this over. She wasn’t wrong. As much as he’d tried to avoid stuff theres a lot that he’s seen that he shouldn’t know yet.   
“Okay but I want to speak with Len before I go.”  
“Sure. I’ll get the pill for you.”  
  
As Barry walked back to the bed he saw that Len had not moved. He looked peaceful and so so beautiful.  
“Lenny.” He said softly and watched as Len’s mouth curled up into a smirk even when the rest of him remained completely still.  
“How long have you been dying to call me that?” Len blinked one eye open to look at him.   
“Since I got here?” Barry laughed then sobered “It’s time I went home.”  
That got Len’s attention and he lifted himself up with a grunt of pain as Barry sat where his legs had been. He laced their fingers together, smiling at the ring.   
“I made the other me promise something and I want you to promise it too.” said Barry. At Len’s calm gaze he continued. “He promised to retire. After this. Our kids deserve their parents Len.”   
Len just kissed him gently.   
“Anything you wish Barry.” Len sighed into the kiss.  
“How long do I have to wait before I get this again?”   
Len smirked “Less time than you may think but it’s best not to rush it. We don’t want to change things do we?”  
“No of course not.” Barry said defiantly. As Caitlin approach he tried to memorise the beautiful smile on his future husband’s face. “Looks like it’s time for me to go. Any tips for Eobard?”  
“Kick him in the balls?”  
“Kill Him!” Len and Caitlin said over each other. Barry Laughed.   
“I’ll do both!”   
Caitlin explained how the pill worked but told him not to take it until he got back then he looked at Len and gave him one last, lingering kiss.  
“I’ll look forward to our next first kiss Lenny. Better Run!”   
  
Central City 2016  
  
Barry ran across the city until he hit enough speed to break into the time stream. Focusing on the battle with Eobard allowed him to arrive a few minutes before he left, giving him an edge over the other speedster. It didn’t take long after that to beat the snot out of him and kick him in the nuts for good measure. He didn’t kill him though. Still not quite comfortable with that, he hopes he never is. After the battle was done he excused himself from the others after a check up. They all wanted to know where he’d been sent and Barry knew if he stuck around he’d end up saying stuff he shouldn’t. When he went home and flopped into bed still dressed. He looked at the pill in his hand and threw it down his throat before he could think better of it. He could feel the drug in his system chasing his memories. Just as Barry himself desperately chased sleep.   
“I love you my Husband.” Barry mumbled as sleep claimed him.   
  
Central City 2024.  
  
It took a week before Barry finally came out of his coma. Len spent every waking moment at his side, holding his hand, reading to him and generally being sickeningly sweet in everyone’s opinion. To which Len told them to kindly ‘Fuck off.’. When Barry’s eyes finally fluttered open Len was almost in tears. When Barry looked over and smiled at him he sobbed with happiness and clutched his hand in a death grip.   
“I’m glad you’re okay Barry.” He gave his husband some water.   
“I’m glad you’re alive Lenny.” Barry mimicked back at him.   
Len just nodded desperately and kissed his husband. Barry looked confused when he pulled away.   
“You kissed him? The other me. I remember it now.”   
Len just looked at him with a raised eyebrow.   
“It’s not like any of our relationship happened in the right order Barry.”  
Barry laughed but it turned into a cough so Len gave him another glass of water.  
“No I guess not.” he pouted.  
“What is it?” Len asked.  
“Its just I liked our first kiss.”  
Len laughed. “I punched you! Hard! I broke your nose.”  
“Yeah but 25 year old you is hot.”  
“You saying i’m not hot Barry?” Len purred.  
“Never, you’re my sexy hero.”  
Len snorted but smiled, resting his forehead on Barry’s.   
“So how would you like to spend retirement?”   
“I don’t care as long as it’s with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ColdFlash/fic ever written for public. I got a D in English and that was 10 years ago. Please be nice?!   
> You may notice some hints to another story. If I ever get around to writing it. To give you an idea it would be set with Barry, Young!Len/Mick and Mobsters.
> 
> I was listening to Criminal - Juliet Lloyd (Britney cover) the whole time. Hence the Title!
> 
> If you wanna find me on Tumblr - Afterpartyattheshire.


End file.
